Tide’s Johnson hopes to prove pass coverage skills to scouts

Published: Friday, January 25, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 12:02 a.m.

MOBILE — It doesn’t take long for Senior Bowl players to figure out what they have to prove to NFL scouts and coaches who attend practices and today’s game, which features some of the nation’s top seniors.

For some, the questions are about attitude. For others, it’s about size, speed, or some other physical measurable.

For Nico Johnson, it’s whether or not he can defend the pass. And the former University of Alabama linebacker knows that’s the area where he must impress.

“That I’m a much better player than what people think,” Johnson said when asked what he wants to show this week. “That I can be more of a sideline player than just a straight-ahead player, and that I can cover. ... That’s the only thing bad about the way we did it at Bama. We rotated a lot. It would seem like people can’t cover, people thought I can’t cover, people thought C.J. (Mosley) couldn’t play the run because we split that time.”

Mosley played more against spread offenses because of his strong pass coverage skills and open-field tackling ability. Johnson played more against traditional offenses with power rushing attacks. But with college football trending more toward the former than the latter, Johnson’s playing time was less than an even split with Mosley’s.

“Texas A&M, I think I got five snaps,” Johnson said. “The most (I) took this year was 50-something against LSU. It’s all exciting. That was my role

<p>MOBILE — It doesn't take long for Senior Bowl players to figure out what they have to prove to NFL scouts and coaches who attend practices and today's game, which features some of the nation's top seniors.</p><p>For some, the questions are about attitude. For others, it's about size, speed, or some other physical measurable.</p><p>For Nico Johnson, it's whether or not he can defend the pass. And the former University of Alabama linebacker knows that's the area where he must impress.</p><p>“That I'm a much better player than what people think,” Johnson said when asked what he wants to show this week. “That I can be more of a sideline player than just a straight-ahead player, and that I can cover. ... That's the only thing bad about the way we did it at Bama. We rotated a lot. It would seem like people can't cover, people thought I can't cover, people thought C.J. (Mosley) couldn't play the run because we split that time.”</p><p>Mosley played more against spread offenses because of his strong pass coverage skills and open-field tackling ability. Johnson played more against traditional offenses with power rushing attacks. But with college football trending more toward the former than the latter, Johnson's playing time was less than an even split with Mosley's.</p><p>“Texas A&M, I think I got five snaps,” Johnson said. “The most (I) took this year was 50-something against LSU. It's all exciting. That was my role</p>